kofoworola's review against another edition
3.0
Nairobi Heat was an enjoyable crime thriller; one of the first (if not the very first) African one I've read. There were quite a few parts that made me go 'really?
dmahanty's review against another edition
3.0
A good quick read. In Wisconsin, a blonde girl is found murdered on the doorstep of an african university professor. Detective Ihmael Fofona follows the case to Kenya and uncovers the roll of the professor in war crimes at Rowanda.
blibrarian's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this book, particularly as the author's father is Ngugi wa Thiong'o, an incredible writer. But this book is so bad, you guys. SO bad.
The writing is awkward and off-putting, the story unconvincing and predictable, the main character terrible at his job, and the plot absurd. A local police force in a small city decides to send its lead detective to Kenya because he received an anonymous phone call? An entire nation goes totally bonkers over the murder of an unidentified woman because her killer MIGHT be a black man? The KKK has a well-known "bunker" in one of the most liberal cities in the Midwest, and goes completely unbothered by either law enforcement or the community? A police officer kills multiple people and doesn't face so much as a review board, let alone any sort of disciplinary action?
The main problem I had (or one of them, anyway) was that I couldn't tell when it was supposed to be taking place. It was published in 2011 and they have cell phones, but it never seems to occur to anyone that maybe sending a few emails and making a few phone calls might be more cost effective than sending a detective to Africa. The Ku Klux Klan is depicted as just another unsavory but totally normal part of any American community--um, what? The Klan is a) not usually called that anymore, and b) so weakened and ineffectual that their presence as even minor "villains" in this novel is incongruous and laughable. At this point, they're an outdated stereotype and the butt of a bajillion jokes, as they rightfully should be. So what are they doing in this book? This isn't O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Also, going back to the whole when-is-this-happening thing, the characters are always faxing stuff to each other. You know, on a fax machine. You guys. A fax machine. In 2011.
Okay, let me try and put my thoughts on this into order, as it's a tricky issue. This goes back to my issue with the Klan's presence in the book, and to the character of the old white man who thinks he's African. So much of this book is about race relations, which is obviously a discussion that is necessary, valuable and, hopefully, productive. Racism is still an issue in America and in most of the world; white privilege, racial prejudice, none of that has been "solved." I understand why Ngugi looks to address the issue in the book, and I understand the points that he is making. (I won't go into detail so as to avoid spoilers.) I just think that he does it very clumsily, and in doing it clumsily, actually devalues the discussion.
The Klan is one example: it's such a stupid stereotype that it allows the reader to dismiss the whole idea of racism as, well, a stupid stereotype. And that's bad. Because racism is not something that should be dismissed; it should be addressed and challenged. African Americans in positions of authority do struggle with prejudice, as Ngugi rightly points out, but that prejudice is much more insidious and, therefore, damaging than the blatant racism of groups like the Klan. Nobody takes the Klan seriously, nor should they. But the right-wing Republicans insisting that Barack Obama must be a foreigner and demanding his birth certificate? The mall security cop who follows the Latino teenagers around the store, but pays no attention to the white ones? The Papa John's cashier who describes an Asian customer as "Lady Chinky Eyes" on her receipt? That is the subtle, insidious racism that holds us all back, and Ngugi forgoes any mention of this for the much easier statement of "Hey, the Klan sure are a bunch of a-holes, huh? And that white guy who thinks he's 'real African'? What a jerk!" Racism is depicted as mean white bullies who are totally up front about their racism, and that's not true or useful. Racism would be way easier to solve if that were the case.
I also had a problem with the way donations to survivors of the Rwandan genocide were described as "the guilt of the world." Really? People only give money because they feel guilty? They're not, maybe, just human beings wanting to do something good and useful for fellow human beings?
This review is almost as long as the book itself, and is also totally out of character for me; I rarely write reviews. But this book honestly made me angry (as I'm discovering right now) and I had serious issues with it. You guys, it's just a silly crime story. I get that. I'm sorry for taking it so seriously. I didn't think I'd have this much to say until I started saying it. So I'll shut up in a second.
Final thought: the book felt like it was written by someone who had never been to America, but assumed that America was basically like, well, it's bad form to make the same comparison twice, but I'm going to do it--assumed that America was basically like O Brother, Where Art Thou? Only with fax machines.
I'm going to go read The Wizard of the Crow now.
The writing is awkward and off-putting, the story unconvincing and predictable, the main character terrible at his job, and the plot absurd. A local police force in a small city decides to send its lead detective to Kenya because he received an anonymous phone call? An entire nation goes totally bonkers over the murder of an unidentified woman because her killer MIGHT be a black man? The KKK has a well-known "bunker" in one of the most liberal cities in the Midwest, and goes completely unbothered by either law enforcement or the community? A police officer kills multiple people and doesn't face so much as a review board, let alone any sort of disciplinary action?
The main problem I had (or one of them, anyway) was that I couldn't tell when it was supposed to be taking place. It was published in 2011 and they have cell phones, but it never seems to occur to anyone that maybe sending a few emails and making a few phone calls might be more cost effective than sending a detective to Africa. The Ku Klux Klan is depicted as just another unsavory but totally normal part of any American community--um, what? The Klan is a) not usually called that anymore, and b) so weakened and ineffectual that their presence as even minor "villains" in this novel is incongruous and laughable. At this point, they're an outdated stereotype and the butt of a bajillion jokes, as they rightfully should be. So what are they doing in this book? This isn't O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Also, going back to the whole when-is-this-happening thing, the characters are always faxing stuff to each other. You know, on a fax machine. You guys. A fax machine. In 2011.
Okay, let me try and put my thoughts on this into order, as it's a tricky issue. This goes back to my issue with the Klan's presence in the book, and to the character of the old white man who thinks he's African. So much of this book is about race relations, which is obviously a discussion that is necessary, valuable and, hopefully, productive. Racism is still an issue in America and in most of the world; white privilege, racial prejudice, none of that has been "solved." I understand why Ngugi looks to address the issue in the book, and I understand the points that he is making. (I won't go into detail so as to avoid spoilers.) I just think that he does it very clumsily, and in doing it clumsily, actually devalues the discussion.
The Klan is one example: it's such a stupid stereotype that it allows the reader to dismiss the whole idea of racism as, well, a stupid stereotype. And that's bad. Because racism is not something that should be dismissed; it should be addressed and challenged. African Americans in positions of authority do struggle with prejudice, as Ngugi rightly points out, but that prejudice is much more insidious and, therefore, damaging than the blatant racism of groups like the Klan. Nobody takes the Klan seriously, nor should they. But the right-wing Republicans insisting that Barack Obama must be a foreigner and demanding his birth certificate? The mall security cop who follows the Latino teenagers around the store, but pays no attention to the white ones? The Papa John's cashier who describes an Asian customer as "Lady Chinky Eyes" on her receipt? That is the subtle, insidious racism that holds us all back, and Ngugi forgoes any mention of this for the much easier statement of "Hey, the Klan sure are a bunch of a-holes, huh? And that white guy who thinks he's 'real African'? What a jerk!" Racism is depicted as mean white bullies who are totally up front about their racism, and that's not true or useful. Racism would be way easier to solve if that were the case.
I also had a problem with the way donations to survivors of the Rwandan genocide were described as "the guilt of the world." Really? People only give money because they feel guilty? They're not, maybe, just human beings wanting to do something good and useful for fellow human beings?
This review is almost as long as the book itself, and is also totally out of character for me; I rarely write reviews. But this book honestly made me angry (as I'm discovering right now) and I had serious issues with it. You guys, it's just a silly crime story. I get that. I'm sorry for taking it so seriously. I didn't think I'd have this much to say until I started saying it. So I'll shut up in a second.
Final thought: the book felt like it was written by someone who had never been to America, but assumed that America was basically like, well, it's bad form to make the same comparison twice, but I'm going to do it--assumed that America was basically like O Brother, Where Art Thou? Only with fax machines.
I'm going to go read The Wizard of the Crow now.
naisinkoi's review against another edition
4.0
*4 Stars
I found this book to be a quick and easy read that brought together America and Eastern Africa in the quest of finding the murderer of the young girl who was found in the doorstep of one of the Rwandan genocide's 'hero'.
The author expertly brought about what I think the police in Kenya were going through in the post colonial period before the reforms were undertaken.
The 'coming home' theme of the detective from the US and his feelings on Africa being the motherland and his experiences as described in the book is quite a common theme when it comes to foreigners of black American descent when they visit Africa.
I picked this book up as part of the #KenyanReadathon happening in the month of September on Instagram and would encourage anyone interested in a quick Kenyan thriller to pick it up.
I found this book to be a quick and easy read that brought together America and Eastern Africa in the quest of finding the murderer of the young girl who was found in the doorstep of one of the Rwandan genocide's 'hero'.
The author expertly brought about what I think the police in Kenya were going through in the post colonial period before the reforms were undertaken.
The 'coming home' theme of the detective from the US and his feelings on Africa being the motherland and his experiences as described in the book is quite a common theme when it comes to foreigners of black American descent when they visit Africa.
I picked this book up as part of the #KenyanReadathon happening in the month of September on Instagram and would encourage anyone interested in a quick Kenyan thriller to pick it up.
akornilova's review against another edition
5.0
4.5⭐️. Gritty, fast paced cop story set against the back drop of the Rwandan genocide.
williamc's review against another edition
3.0
Fast-paced and loosely constructed, but with an engaging and interesting plot, Nairobi Heat follows police detective Ishmael as he investigates the murder of a young white woman who holds mysterious ties to Kenya. As an African-American visiting the continent for the first time, Ishmael's journey to Africa reveals the gaps in his understanding of black politics outside America, race relations within his own country, and his own sense of place within the law, bringing the potential for massive change to the life of a man who had been rifling through Madison looking for answers the area didn't seem to allow. Excellent secondary characters make Nairobi's lopsided "equality" come to life, and the larger conflicts behind the case are focused on individuals, avoiding broad strokes of political and popular righteousness, and acknowledging that anyone can become tainted by immorality, even when their actions seem just. A quick read, but with an ending that that will please Nguigi's soon-to-follow fans.
rosseroo's review against another edition
2.0
I'm always excited to read crime stories set in other cultures, and so I picked up this Kenyan-set book with great anticipation. The story actually opens in the American college town of Madison, Wisconsin, where a beautiful young white woman has been found dead on the doorstep of a visiting Rwandan professor. A local African-American police detective named Ishmael catches the case, and is soon sucked into a whirlpool of confusion involving the legacy of the genocide in Rwanda 15 years in the past. The professor is a hero of the genocide, referred to as a kind of Rwandan Schindler (Paul Rusesabagina is purposefully not invoked), who used his school as a safe haven and waystation to smuggle people to safety. Now he is one of the public faces of a international charity devoted to supporting the victims of the genocide.
With no clues to go on, Ishmael and his chief are stuck -- until an anonymous phone call directs them to go to Nairobi to find the truth. Ishmael hops on a plane, and soon enough, is knocking around the Kenyan capital with a local police detective, stirring up trouble. As they start to look into the charity, and the center it runs, they encounter varying degrees of resistance, and meet a string of shady characters (most notable among them is a crazy rich white plantation owner), and Ishmael falls for a sexy slam poetess who helps him uncover the truth.
Unfortunately, while he book does a great job of capturing the feel of Nairobi's slums and rich enclaves, the story itself is kind of ridiculous in a lot of ways. For example, it's not very plausible from either a cost or jurisdiction perspective that a local police force would send a detective halfway around the world on the strength of an anonymous phone call. Nor is it very plausible that the professor would be as readily dismissed as a suspect as he is. It's hard to get into it without spoiling the story, but even a basic police search of a particular building would have revealed all the evidence needed to identify the culprit from the get-go. But since that would have removed the whole basis for the trip to Kenya, it's conveniently glossed over. These flaws (and a few others) make the crime element of the story feel rather amateurish.
When the story moves to Kenya, it does find itself on more solid ground, and the setting and characters feel a little more real. What doesn't work quite as well is the attempt to have Ishmael undergo a kind of racial awakening while in Africa. While on the case, he becomes more and more comfortable in the country and finds a certain serenity there that is so beguiling that he's tempted to move there. It all feels a bit thin and I wasn't convinced by it. Another element that wasn't particularly convincing was the corrupt charity that Ishmael is investigating, or rather, not that it is corrupt, but the mechanics of its corruption. The scheme that's uncovered is paper thin, and it's (again) not particularly plausible. You have to buy into the notion that the entire Board of Directors of a giant company like Shell are directly involved in the corruption. I've certainly got no love for Shell, especially given their behavior in Nigeria, but people at that level of power aren't going to get directly involved in something as transparently shady as what's the plot describes.
I love the idea of the crime novel as a vehicle for social history and social commentary, but the crime element has to be believable. In this book, it's not, and the entire book suffers as a result. I will, however, be curious to see what the author (who is the son of Kenya's most prominent writer, Ngugi wa Thiong'o) comes up with for his next book.
With no clues to go on, Ishmael and his chief are stuck -- until an anonymous phone call directs them to go to Nairobi to find the truth. Ishmael hops on a plane, and soon enough, is knocking around the Kenyan capital with a local police detective, stirring up trouble. As they start to look into the charity, and the center it runs, they encounter varying degrees of resistance, and meet a string of shady characters (most notable among them is a crazy rich white plantation owner), and Ishmael falls for a sexy slam poetess who helps him uncover the truth.
Unfortunately, while he book does a great job of capturing the feel of Nairobi's slums and rich enclaves, the story itself is kind of ridiculous in a lot of ways. For example, it's not very plausible from either a cost or jurisdiction perspective that a local police force would send a detective halfway around the world on the strength of an anonymous phone call. Nor is it very plausible that the professor would be as readily dismissed as a suspect as he is. It's hard to get into it without spoiling the story, but even a basic police search of a particular building would have revealed all the evidence needed to identify the culprit from the get-go. But since that would have removed the whole basis for the trip to Kenya, it's conveniently glossed over. These flaws (and a few others) make the crime element of the story feel rather amateurish.
When the story moves to Kenya, it does find itself on more solid ground, and the setting and characters feel a little more real. What doesn't work quite as well is the attempt to have Ishmael undergo a kind of racial awakening while in Africa. While on the case, he becomes more and more comfortable in the country and finds a certain serenity there that is so beguiling that he's tempted to move there. It all feels a bit thin and I wasn't convinced by it. Another element that wasn't particularly convincing was the corrupt charity that Ishmael is investigating, or rather, not that it is corrupt, but the mechanics of its corruption. The scheme that's uncovered is paper thin, and it's (again) not particularly plausible. You have to buy into the notion that the entire Board of Directors of a giant company like Shell are directly involved in the corruption. I've certainly got no love for Shell, especially given their behavior in Nigeria, but people at that level of power aren't going to get directly involved in something as transparently shady as what's the plot describes.
I love the idea of the crime novel as a vehicle for social history and social commentary, but the crime element has to be believable. In this book, it's not, and the entire book suffers as a result. I will, however, be curious to see what the author (who is the son of Kenya's most prominent writer, Ngugi wa Thiong'o) comes up with for his next book.